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Day 5 (26/04/2022) Lamayuru to Leh.

We stayed at Greenland GH back in 2018.
After that, I remained in touch with KonchopBhai. I used to recommend his property to other travelers/riders. We used to wish each other at festivals. When I informed him that I am planning to come again. He was happy and booked two rooms for us. We were facing issues at Sonamarg. I called him, he was very flexible in our dates of arrival.

We reached Greenland GH at 2115.
Konchophai was not available. Her wife was taking care of the property. She kept everything ready for us. Dinner and breakfast were part of our package. We had a nice dinner that night. We asked the Bhabhi ji about breakfast. She told us bread butter and Alu Paratha. We were sick of Alu Parahta. We wanted something else. Paresh offered to cook something special for us. We asked Bhabhi ji, and she said the kitchen is yours, you can use it in the morning. We made the deal to make our breakfast.

The next day, we were not in any hurry.
Leh is just 108 km from Lamayuru, a two hours drive.
We woke up at 0700. Archan and Joyas went out to click some pics.

Greenland GH


Good Morning from Archan.


I and Paresh went to the kitchen.
Paresh was under impression that, I m going to help him. He was wrong. I revealed one of my major weaknesses to him, that I don't even know how to make tea:Frustrati. I have never cooked anything in my life except some help in barbecue. We checked the available raw material and decided to make Egg Bhurji and Egg rice with Maggi. Paresh started the job and I started playing with Konchop Bhai's 3 years old daughter.

Good morning Cutie.


Helping her to Study.


Paresh at the job.


Bhabhiji noticed that Paresh was doing all job and making breakfast for six people. No one was helping. She immediately came to the kitchen and started helping Paresh. Paresh taught some of our local tricks to her.

Helping hand.


Within 20 minutesclap:, the breakfast was ready. Paresh served us breakfast. It was amazing. We made deal with Paresh that whenever we get bored of Magi, we would have to get into the kitchen and make something for ourselves. He was ok with it as far as someone helps him. Archan and Joyas were ready to help him. I was happy to help, but I didn't know how to help in the kitchen.

We bid farewell to Konchop Bhai's family.
We gave lots of sweets to the kids and promised them to come again with family.

Goodbye Shot


Our next task was to explore Lamayuru.
Lamayuru is a tiny village that's popularly known as the Moonland of Ladakh. A large lake long ago dried up, and surreal breathtaking view of moonlike landscapes carved into the mountains. The protrusions looked like the surface of the moon. It has also been said often, that on a full moon night, the area is an extraordinary sight to behold, something one doesn't get to see every day. Lamayuru is also immensely popular for housing one of the oldest and largest monasteries in Ladakh.

We drove to The Monastery. We were early, it was closed. We clicked around and tried to capture it in pics. I love the way these monasteries are built on hills, away from villages or towns.

Monastery Parking.


Praying Wheels.


A Walkway


Monastry & Joyas


The monastery was closed but, the views of the village were amazing from the Monastery. We were able to have a 3360 view of Lamayuru village. We spent some time enjoying the views and the cold morning.

The views


Moonland


Village


Some old house


A Big Praying wheel


I have never been to Moon. So, I can't confirm that, If the different kind of soil formation looks like the surface of the moon or not. Yes, I can confirm that it's beautiful. We drove to Moonland. It's right there on Srinagar -Leh highway just next to Lamayuru village. I driver/rider with their right sense can never miss this on the highway.

To Moonland


The Moonland

I gave the above statement in my 2018 Ladakh trip log.
This time, we had plenty of time at our disposal. Still, the reason mentioned in the statement is valid. Kargil is exactly in the middle of Srinagar and Leh. Kargil to Leh is 210km, which can eat up almost your entire day. You can not do anything after reaching Leh. If you spend your night at Lamayuru. You can cover tourist spots on the way to Leh and reach your hotel around 1400. After two hours' rest, you can still utilize that evening to have a stroll in the main market or a visit to Shanti Stupa.

We left Lamayuru at 0900.
We started for Leh. It was a pleasant morning with lots of sunlight. Archan was driving and we were enjoying the excellent views and pleasant weather.

Leh 106km


To Leh


We were maintaining a good speed. We missed a checkpoint at a small village named Khaltse:Shockked:.
We drove more than 800mtr and a cop vehicle stopped us and asked us to go back to that CP and get registered.
We drove back to that CP. It wasn't a Police CP, It was a vaccination registration check-post by the health department. We presented our double vaccination certificate.

PS: They noted down our vaccination code numbers, Adahar card numbers & Vehicle number. No negative RTPCR report is required.

We kept all of the document's photocopies ready in enough quantity. I went ahead and got ourselves registered at the CP and others choose to visit a small war memorial nearby.

Vacciniation Registation


The Savior OF Ladakh Memorial, Khaltse.






After registration, we got back on the road. We were passing through green villages and some newly built bridges. We were maintaining our moderate speed. We were not in hurry to reach Leh.

To Leh


Green Villages


New Bridges


After Khaltse, the Indus river joined us.
Indus river flows with the Srinagar-Leh highway but in opposite direction. The crystal clear blue water attracted us. There was a small approach road that took us to the river. We spent some time with the river.

To Indus


Indus River


We


Me


After some photographs, we moved ahead. We were approaching a small village named Nimmu. This region is practically the start or end ( as per your POV) of the Zanskar region. The mighty River Indus meanders across this barren region, providing sustenance for numerous villages along the way.

To Nimmu


We were passing by endless tracts of nothing but flat brown plateau before it yields to forbidding red, black, and yellow mountains. The black tarred road divides this plateau and passes through it. We were driving on that amazing tarmac enjoying the view.

Some Village


Mountains


The Road


Brown Plateau


We were not much interested in Nimmu village.

We wanted to visit the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar Rivers also known as Sangam. This point is right there on Srinagar -Leh highway. The two rivers can be separately seen meeting at this point. While the Indus River appears shiny blue, the Zanskar River appears muddy green. It is a spectacular sight to witness. The flow of the two rivers at Sangam changes according to the season. While the Zanskar River is swollen and rapid in summers, Indus River is calmer. In winters, Zanskar slows down and almost freezes while the flow of Indus is even lesser. The Indus is one of the longest rivers in Asia and originates in Tibet. Zanskar River is formed in the Zanskar Valley region.

Thanks, BRO, yes we did & We will...


The Sangam


Zanskar


Thanks once again


This point is a registration point for river rafting and Kayaking. Due to that, this point is always overcrowded with selfie seekers and insta reel makers. I don't have any issue with that kind of crowd. However, I like to stay away from the crowd. Moreover, the beauty of the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar Rivers can be noticed from a particular point up ahead on the road. I asked the guys to leave the point and drive to a much higher point to witness the bird-eye view of the Sangam.

Climbing up


Birdeye View of Sangam

Park the car in neutral in the yellow box marked a few meters ahead of the Magnetic Hill road. From this point, the car starts moving at a speed of 20 kmph.

People say the Magnetic hill has superpowers that transport the worthy to heavenrl. However, there is not one but two plausible scientific explanations behind this majestic magnetic hill.

The Optical Illusion Theory
The first theory states that this Magnetic hill is an optical illusion caused by the descending and rising terrain. The alignment of the road and the absence of a visible horizon creates a downward slope to appear like an upslope.

The Magnetic Field Theory
The second theory states that the hill exudes a strong magnetic force that pulls vehicles parked within its range. Many tourists and Indian Air Force officials have collaborated with this theory.

I would like to remain with Optical Illusion Theory. The layout of the area and the surrounding hills give it an optical illusion. The downhill road appears to be an uphill road which leads to the car slowly gaining momentum and appears to be going uphill against gravity when in fact it is rolling downhill.

Phenomena or illusion, Magnetic Field or Optical Illusion.
Whatever it is, One thing is sure this spot is now a major tourist spot. That yellow board is very famous now. Everyone wants to get a photo with it (Including us). Everyone wants to park their car(or bike) in neutral in that specific place and see what happens.

After a short drive, we reached Magnetic hill.
It was packed with tourists. We finished the ritual of taking photos with the board as soon as possible. There are some good mild offroading tracks at this spot. Earlier we used to do a lot of offroading in this area with bikes or 4*4. Quad bikes were available. Joyas wanted to try it, but then I warned him that they will not allow him to handle it, you will be a pillion. He dropped the idea.

To Magnetic Hill


Ritual1


Ritual2


Quad bikes


Tracks


We left from that spot. Before driving to Leh, we also parked our Innova on that designated spot and it worked.clap:

Park here.


We moved ahead.
We were getting closer to Leh.
Lots of tourists were coming from Leh to cover those tourist sites which we already covered during our regular drive to Leh. Finally, I was able to explain my theory of staying in Lamayuru to my travel mates with example.

To Leh




After a short drive, we reached Gurudwara Pathar Sahib.
Gurudwara Pathar Sahib is dedicated to Guru Nanak Dev. The gurudwara is highly revered as it houses a rock that resembles Guru Nanak's back. It is built at the site where he is believed to have vanquished a demon. The gurudwara is looked after by the lamas and the Indian army. The locals believe that in the 15th century, Guru Nanak stayed at this location which was dominated by a demon. When the locals sought his help, the demon threw a boulder toward Guru Nanak that turned into wax on touching his back and took its shape. This rock is now worshipped at Gurudwara Pathar Sahib. Most of the vehicles stop here and pay their respects before continuing on their journey.

Srinagar - Leh road


Gurudwara Pathar Sahib.


Once again, I remained in the car and tried to take a power nap. After half hour, we started for Leh.

We were just 22 km far from Leh.
The road was arrow straight and we were maintaining good speed. Ladakh is the base of many supply lines for many outer posts like Siachen, DBO, Galwan, etc. There are many warehouses and a heavy presence of the Army.

To Leh


Leh 9 KM


We reached at Hall of Fame museum.
The rest of the guys went to visit the museum. The Hall of Fame is a museum that was built in memory of the brave soldiers who lost their lives fighting for India during the Indo-Pakistan war. Maintained by the Indian Army, the Hall of Fame showcases seized arms and amenities of the Pakistani Army, pictures, and biographies of brave soldiers. A section of the museum also displays the Siachen area, exhibiting apparel and amenities used by the Indian Army in the region. Apart from this, one can also witness items related to Ladakhi culture, history, vegetation, and wildlife found across the globe.

I went to a military store dealing in surplus and used army goods. I wanted to buy a military-grade fuel canister. The shop guys confined me that they get a lot of canisters but all of them get sold immediately to local taxi guys:disappointed.

Hall of Fame.


Museum


View from Hall of Fame Parking




We reached Leh at 1355.
We parked our car at one of the paid parking near the main market and went to one of the well-known authentic local restaurants to have some local food.

Welcome to Leh






Chimath Tibetian Kitchen




There is a big area called upper Karzu in Leh.
This area is full of all kinds of hotels and guesthouses. All of these hotels and GH have a good area for Parking. However, the streets in this area are very very narrow with lots of blind curves. Only one vehicle can pass at one time. Somehow, we negotiated those streets and reached our GH named Choszin Guesthouse.

Choszin Guesthouse.


We checked in, We were given two rooms on a terrace with amazing views. However, it was on a terrace and we had to climb two sets of stairs to reach there. At the request of other mates, we got the room changed and shifted to the 1st floor.

View from Terrace rooms.






We got to freshen up. Archan and Joyas wanted to take some rest. I used my VITO and rejected that idea and asked them to get ready to visit Shanti Stupa.

The Shanti Stupa in Leh is a magnificent white-domed Buddhist monument located atop a steep hilltop. Shanti Stupa was constructed in 1991 by Japanese Buddhist, Bhikshu Gyomyo Nakamura. The construction was jointly done by the Japanese and Ladakhi Buddhists to mark the completion of 2500 years of Buddhism and to promote world peace. It is a part of the peace pagoda mission, which aims to spread peace through the preaching of Buddha

Shanti Stupa is very popular amongst tourists as it offers a sweeping view of Leh and the nearby Changspa village. That's the reason I wanted to go there. We had an amazing time there. due to clouds, we were not able to witness the sunset.

Shanti Stupa & Leh City.








Thats we are going to cross, Khardung La


After Shanti Stupa, We visited the main market.
Archan and Paresh wanted to start shopping. I assured them that we would be going to get plenty of time to do shopping the next day. We spent some time at the market and came back to our GH.

Tsweng joined us for Dinner We had some detailed discussion about routes for our next part of the journey. I wanted Tsweng's input to understand the route of Hanle to Umling La. I got some valuable input from Tsweng. I wanted to cover leh"s local sites by a motorcycle. However, Archan and Joyas refused to go with a motorcycle. We asked Tsweg to give us one Himalaya the next day. I and Paresh decided to ride a motorcycle.

After dinner, we called it a day.

Day 6 (27/04/2022) Leh Local

We had nothing much to do on that day.
We woke up at 0900. We planned to cover local sights in Leh Town. We had breakfast and I went to collect the bike. The RE Himalayan was in very good condition. Tsweng insisted we wear shin guards and gave us two pairs of shin guards. Archan and Joyas were going to remain in the car. I was going to ride the motorcycle with Paresh as Pillion.

The Rider


& the Pillion


We


To Rancho's School


We were going to a place, which I was avoiding for the last many years.
Rancho's School or in reality Druk Padma Karpo School. The School's campus, where some of the scenes of Bollywood's movie Three Idtiost got filmed. This was my fifth visit to the Ladakh region and I always used to avoid visiting this place. I find nothing special at this place there is just a fake wall with some images on it which claims to be an " Idiotic wall"

Three Idiots was an amazing movie.
However, in my personal opinion, this movie did great damage to Ladakh. After 3 Idiots hit theatres, Ladakh became one of the hot tourist places. Once upon a time, Ladakh used to be an adventure circuit. Borken road or no road on Manali-Leh highway, five tough passes, log distance drive to Pangong on the dirt road, crossing Khardung La, etc. used to be tough and require proper preparation & endurance. After 2009, Ladakh came into the limelight, which ushered in thousands more tourists than the region’s fragile ecosystem can support.

Yes, I agree, tourism brings development & employment, and that's happening. However, we must acknowledge all impacts of tourism, both positive and negative. We must try to minimize the negative impacts and maximize the positive ones. That's called sustainable tourism. And as a Toursitm Studies student and a regular traveler, I can say that in Ladakh. we are just enjoying the sweet fruits of tourism and ignoring the issues created by tourism.:thumbsdown

Opps, Let me stop here.
So yes, we started riding to Rancho's School. The Druk White Lotus School, also known as Druk Padma Karpo School, is a Buddhist cultural school located in the Shey valley. It is popular as the Rancho School from the famed Bollywood movie 3-idiots. It has become a popular tourist attraction, even though it is a not public tourist spot. The main attraction here is the Rancho Wall, which was originally the building where "Chatur" was given the electric shock. After it was destroyed in the 2010 flash floods, a replica of this wall has been created at a corner of the school campus.

To School


Rancho's School


The Druk White Lotus School


The wall


The wall


That Fake wall


We left the school and headed for Thikse Monastery.
The Motorcycle was mechanically perfect and we were enjoying riding on the roads. It was a working day and due that road was very busy. I made a mental note to take this motorcycle to some mountain roads and rev it up. Due to the traffic, car guys were trailing. We used that time to do a small photo session at Thikse Parking.

To Thikse


Backside of Monastery


The Road.


My ride.


Car guys


Thikse Monastery


Thiksey Monastery is a twelve-story monastery located on top of a hill, giving magnificent views of the town and the Indus valley below. Thikse consists of numerous white buildings that are arranged in hierarchical order, which stand out against the rocky golden brown hills. It resembles the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. This monastery consists of 10 temples and is currently home to over 100 monks. The main highlight of Thiksey is the Maitreya Temple which houses a 15-meter-high Maitreya Buddha statue. It covers two stories of the building and is the largest such statue in Ladakh.

I have some special bonding with this Monastery.
I always skip churches, temples, gurdwara, and monasteries during my road trips. But I always visit this Monastery.

Welcome to Thikse

















We moved to the terrace to have a 360-degree view of the surrounding area.

360 views from Terrace









We drove ( & rode) back to Leh. We parked our car in one of the paid parking and went to the main market for lunch.

To Leh


It was my wife's birthday, we asked the caretaker to decorate the table with a Happy Birthday banner. He did it happily. We cut a small pastry and celebrated my wife's Birthday 3000km away from her. It happens to be, that my wife shared her birthday with Paresh's mother. We cut one more pastry and wished happy birthday to both the amazing ladies. We had momos and some local dishes as lunch.

Happy Birthday


This was practically our last day in Leh.
Paresh and Archan wanted to have a stroll in the market and do some shopping. I left them at the market and went for a ride. I spent one quality hour on the motorcycle and joined the guys at the main market. Paresh, Archan, and Joyas were on a shopping spreeclap:. I joined the bandwagon and bought many things for my wife and kid (first time from Leh). I noticed that Archan ad Paresh was amazing at shopping, sizing, bargaining, etc. After a while, I was getting bored, I promised to take them to some woolen factory outlets in Manali and Kullu.

We spent more than 3 hours in the market. We did a lot of shopping. I did a lot of shopping (inspired by Paresh and Archan). We missed Leh palace, we missed some monasteries, we missed museums, we missed Zoavar fort, but we did the shopping. That seemed ok to us:Frustrati.

After the main Market, we went to the fuel bunk to do the top-up. WE brought one 40 ltr and one 30 ltr can with us. We topped up Innova and fuel cans. We had approximately 100 ltr of fuel with us.

Late evening we got back to our hotel had dinner and called it a day.

Day 7 (28/04/2022) Leh - Panamik - Hunder

Driving on Ghat roads is always fun but you will always have to remain on your toes to tackle the inclines. You need to understand the limitations of your car and remain within it. Selecting a proper gear and suitable RPM is very crucial while tackling back-to-back inclines. Sometimes people try to push the car in the wrong gear at the wrong RPMs and that burns their clutch plates. I have always noticed the toxic smell of clutch plate burning on sharper inclines:Shockked:.

I loved driving in mountains. However, Paresh wanted to try his hands at mountain driving. I gave him some basic tips with the car keys. We were going to cross Khardung La.

We checked out from our hotel at sharp 06.30. Without doing any further delay, we just started climbing on the Khardung La.

Goodbye Leh


Road to Khardung LA






Once upon a time, the road to Khardung la wasn't paved. A mix of ice and dirt on road the makes one slippery and narrow trail with very deep valleys right next to you. Thanks to BRO, now we do have an amazing tarred tarmac. BRO keeps maintaining this road throughout the year. Paresh's driving was good and we were climbing the slopes nicely. We stopped at a flat area to enjoy the views.

The Mountains.


The Road.


The view


and we


Every hill station has its highest point or pass and that point always has a heavy tourist rush.
Oooty has DodaBeta, Abu has Gurushikhar, Manali has Rohtang pass. For leh, Khadulga top is this kind of pass. It's not the highest motorable road. It's no tougher to climb on it. Still, it's going to remain a major attraction. We were almost alone on the road. During peak season, this road face traffic jam just like the road to Rohtang Pass. If you don't want to be stuck in this kind of jam, always start early.

We reached South Pullu, there was no one to register (or check our docs) We moved on. After a while, it started snowing.

Snow Fall.


The top


Gateway to Siachen.


Lying at an elevation of 5,359 m above sea level, Khardung La Pass is the gateway to Nubra valley and Shyok Valleys. This is one of the world’s highest motorable roads and among the most popular attractions of Ladakh. The pass offers magnificent views of the vicinity and is positioned at around 40 km from the Leh town.

Khardung La was built in 1976 and was opened to the public in 1988. The pass is very important for India as it is used to carry supplies to the Siachen glacier. Once upon a time, it used to be the highest motorable road in the world. It's no more the highest but it's " one of the highest". Khardung la lost its crown to Umling La or some unknown road in Peru or Tibet. (no one is sure ). However, it is still a major attraction. Ladakh trip is not complete without a photo with that big yellow board saying " BRO welcomes you to the top of the world, Mighty Khardung LA"


Starting early have its charm and benefits, but sometimes you find your destination completely closed. For natural places like passes, rivers, beaches, etc. there are no issues (they are never closed). But you will not find any food joints or activities guys at those early hours. Our plan was to have our breakfast at Khardung la top at the military-run cafe. The cafe was closed. Our plan was to buy some souvenirs from the military shop, which was also closed. Our plan was to withdraw some money from the SBI ATM as a souvenir, it was not functioning.

We reached Khardung LA at 0730. :Cheering:
Heavy Snowfall welcomed us. The weather near Khardung La keeps changing. We got out of the car and started the ritual of clicking the photographs. I advised other guys not to get too excited, to walk slow, and take long breaths. After all, we were at 18000+ ft & that was not a joke.

Khardung La


SBI ATM


Joyas


Paresh


Archan


Yours Truly.


Milestone


Siachen


and the Mess


It's advisable not to spend more than 30 minutes at this point. However, usually, you don't get to see a tourist-less/car-less Khardung La top. We had a good walk around till the end of the top. We also visited army bunkers and gifted sweets to army guys. We had a very good time at Khardnugla top. Finally, Archan, requested us to leave the top and get down.

Khardung La Summit


A walk on K top




Toustist-less & Car-Less Khardung La.


Chalo niche.


We started gettting down from Khardung La at 0845.
Our target was Siachen Base Camp. I wanted to get more and more details for Siachen Base Camp. I wanted to talk to some army guys posted at Khardung la, but no one was there. We moved on. The road was in bad shape after Khardung La with lots of snow and black ice on the road.

To Nubra Valley

We started getting down from Khardung La top.
The road and mountains slopes were full of fresh snow. We couldn't resist that, we parked our car in a corner and started playing with the snow. We were alone on the road. The herd of tourists didn't start from the Leh. We had the entire road (and its fresh snow) for us. We spend a nice time playing in the fresh snow.

Fresh Snow


We...










And our Snow Print

We kept moving, but our games kept going on.
The road was getting worse. The inclines were getting stiffer with lots of mud and black ice.

Let's go.


To Nubra Valley


We were having a great time. And in this fun, we forgot that we didn't even have our tea and breakfast. It was my duty to keep an eye on distance and time, but it was me only who was more excited about playing in the snow:p. I took a mental note of that and started driving.

Snow Swords








We reached Khardong village at 1000.
We were starving. We stopped at the first cafe on the way. It was a nice small setup right on the road. On one side you can see Khadong Village and on another side Khadung La top. Khardong is a very small village, just after Khardung La.

The Mid-Way Restaurant.


Khardung Village


Khardung La


We ordered our breakfast at this Midway Restaurant.
We noticed that the lady owner was making the Momos. We asked her to teach us. She happily taught us. We made some momos. She invited us to boil the Momos. We went into the kitchen and boiled it. So, it was like we made our momos and had it:Cheering:. The owners were friendly. We spend a nice time talking with them and playing with their kid daughter. We gave some sweets to them.

The art of Momo Making




A gesture of thanks.


We left that cafe at 1050.
We crossed Khardong village. After five minutes drive, there was a roadblock. Road widening work was going on. We were on our way and some cops stopped us. We were the first vehicle. They started working on their JCB. We were told that this is going to take some time. We clicked some pics of the surrounding. We made ourselves comfortable and started watching the interesting job of JCB and JCB ki Khudai.


Road widening.


We stopped


JCB ki Khudai.


The views


and pics


[WE got settled


We waited for more than two hours. We lost all of our extra time gained by leaving early. We were back to square one. It was 1145 and we were still at Khadong village. This was a problem. We were still 100km away from SBC. A return journey to SBC could take more than 6 hours. I kept all of this in mind and, we moved on. Paresh helped us to clear the traffic. We got out of that construction zone.

Thanks, Paresh


We reached Khalsar.
Khalsar is a small village in Nubra valley. We stopped at a small military post and gave sweets to the only soldier posted at that post. He was a friendly guy from Punjab. I asked him about Siachen Base camp. He told us SBC was closed for tourists that day. They have high-level bureaucrats visiting SBC that day and due to that, They were not allowing normal tourists. This was good as well as bad news for us. Bad, because we won't be able to see SBC. Good, because, we didn't have to drive up to the SBC entry gate and come back without visiting it. One Dilemma was solved for us. We deiced to go up to Panamik, bath in a hot water stream, and come back to Hunder.

Nubra Valley


Khalsar


Siachen Tuskers


We were in Nubra Valley.
Nubra valley is located on the ancient silk route. The valley has Shyok and Nubra rivers snaking through it and some beautiful monasteries. The region is currently under military supervision because the road further leads to the Siachen base camp. There are a lot of activities like ATV rides and ziplining in the Nubra Valley. and recently there is a newly built Go-karting circuit. They claim it's the highest go-karting circuit in the world. Whatever it is, I don't see any need for a go-karting circuit at this place:Frustrati. We love the Ladakh region for its mountains, rivers, locals, culture, and natural beauty. We don't come here to do Go-karting, which we can surely do in our respective cities.

World's highest Go-Karting




We visited the go-karting point.
We kept moving. It was already 1300. We were hungry.
We decided to have lunch at Panamik. We started having chocolates and dry fruits to kill the hunger. The road to Panamik which ultimately goes to the Siachen base camp was beautiful. We were enjoying the drive. Due to the mild dose of chocolates and dry fruits, our hunger remained in control.

Views,




What's the meaning of within reach?


This road was dotted with some very small villages. Otherwise, it was completely deserted. Siachen Base camp was still 91km away from us. A greedy traveler inside me wanted to attempt that 91km but I knew my other mates were not ready for that. I ignored Siachen Base camp's name and moved on.

Some village at 10000 ft.

The landscape around us was beautiful.
We were driving parallel to the very wide Nubra river. The wide riverbed of Nubra is dotted with many small villages. We crossed Sumur, which is one of the major villages on this route. Sumur village is an important religious stopover. It's also a favorite for hikers and trekkers, as plenty of trails and paths start from this village.

The road




Sumur Village


After Sumur, the road to SBC was straight like an arrow.
We could see the Saltoro range. Saltoro mountain range has those cone-shaped mountains. We were so near to that, but we were not going to go there due to time constraints. It was frustrating:Frustrati. We stopped for a while and did some photography to overcome my frustration.

Road to SBC


the road


road.junkie


We reached Panamik village.
Panamik is famous for its hot sulfur springs. These hot springs are located 10,442 feet above sea level and are believed to have medicinal properties. The hot spring here has separate pools for men and women and there are cabins for showering and changing. We approached this facility. There was a small food joint. We ordered our food and went for a bath. the outside temperature was 2 degrees and the water was hot. We had a great time bathing in the hot water pool.

Panamik Village.


Hot Water Springs


Bathrooms


Hot Pool.


We finished our bath in hot water. It was refreshing. We got out and quickly rushed to the restaurant. We were starving. The restaurant didn't have much of options. Most of the items were stocked out. We order an omelet with local roti named Khambhir and some Maggi.

Menu


Restaurant


Khambir is a traditional bread that is brown in color with a thick crust and shaped in pan, yeast, curd, or buttermilk is added to wheat flour, fermented overnight, and then baked using traditional methods. Tagi Khambir or commonly called khambir is a “browned sourdough bread” – a very popular staple food at the high altitudes of the Himalayas like in Leh – Ladakh region. According to the belief of the native people, this leavened bread can protect them against harsh environmental stresses (extreme cold at around -25°C during winter, strong wind, and low humidity) and provide adequate energy and mouth feel. These traditional flatbreads are gaining popularity among outsiders due to the rapid growth of “village tourism,” “homestay,” or “ethnic food tourism” in these regions

Khambir & Omelet


Khambir was different.
We finished our lunch and left the facility. It was 1630. I still wanted to go to Siachen Base camp but time was not on our side. SBC was 50km from Panamik which was a two-hour drive oneway. I completely got SBC out of my mind and started driving. We had a flying visit to Panamik Village. The almost entire village was deserted. It's normal in this kind of far village in the Ladakh region, that you only find females in the villages. Most of the males go to major cities for better employment. That's the reason most of the homestays in remote villages are handled by females.

A house at Panamik


We started.


Panamik


Post Office


We spent some time at Panamik and move ahead to see what was after Panamik. There is an entire world of Siachen after Panamik. We drove some five minutes to SBC, clicked some pics, and started driving back. We turned back from the sigh board which says SBC 50km.

Road To SBC


After Panamik


Let's drive back


We started going back.
Our night stay was at Hunder.
We were still 80km away from Huner. We could see a making of a big sand storm on a far mountain. It was looking Scary. We were directly going into that Sandstrom.

Making of Sandstrom


We kept moving and drove directly into the Sandstrom. We were still 40km away from Hunder. The Sandstrom was powerful even at 40km far from its source. Have a look at the VDO to have an idea of Sandstrom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uqlnkGzpUc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x-mPZ1VsCA

We drove very carefully and slowly inside the storm. It was fierce, we thought to stop somewhere and let it pass. But then, I read somewhere that these sandstorms reman more than two or three hours. We kept driving and took a turn to the Hunder side. There was a small climb. We climbed on that, the sandstorm remained at river bed level. We were able to see the sandstorm. We spent some time watching the sand storm.

Into the Strom


above the Strom


Watching the Strom


We reached Hunder and started searching for our hotel.
There were hundreds of hotels, homestays, and camps in the Hunder, and finding our homestay was very tough:crying. We got in touch with Tsweng and he gave us some tips about nearby hotels. Finally, we reached our homestay.

Horcho HomeStay


It was a very long day for us. The rooms of the homestay were basic but clean and comfortable. We got running hot water. All of us took a nice bath and had dinner. After a small courtesy meeting with the owner's family, we called it a day.

Room


Dinner

Day 8 (29/04/2022) Hunder - Turtuk -Thang- Hunder

We had a good night's sleep at Horcho Homestay after a long and hectic day full of excitement and adventures. We explored one part of Nubra Valley. Unfortunately, we were not able to go to Siachen BC.


Hunder is a remote but major village in Nubra Valley.
The high-altitude desert, with a rolling expanse of sand dunes, barren landscape, and Bacterian camels are the USPs of Hunder village. The cold desert and sand dunes seem like an enigma to scores of tourists who come to visit the spectacle. The village is located close to Siachen Glacier on the Pakistan border, and the area beyond is under the control of the army. Though the area surrounding Hunder is arid and desolate, the village, however, is a vast expanse of green and abounds with cultivable land. Horticulture products, including, apricots, walnuts, almonds, apples, and various fruits and flowers, from Nubra, are much sought after.

It was a lovely morning at Hunder.
We ignored Hunder & its USPs and approached Diskit Turtuk road. However, Hunder's USPs didn't want to get ignored by us. Before we get on the main road we spotted a family of double hump AkA Bacetarian camel. These camels are not native to Nubra valley. There is an interesting story behind them.

Anyhow, thanks to the efforts of the local community and tourism industry, we can enjoy a safari ride that will offer us sights of the mesmerizingly stunning Shyok River.

A Family of Bacetarian camel





We paid our respect to that family and moved on. We got on Diskit- Turtuk highway. We planned to drive up to Thang Village. It was my turn to drive. The road to Turtuk was beautiful with a different kind of mountain formation.

Hunder


To Turtuk






We were leaving the trans-Himalayan ranges and entering into a different world of Karakoram range. We were passing through a heavily militarised zone with a big airfield. We kept moving, enjoying and observing the slow changes in the geographical terrain and mountain formation.

To Karakoram range


Shyolk war Memorial


Road to Turtuk




We were driving on the lovely road flanked by mountains on one side and Shyok river on the other. We continue to drive along Shyok. The mountains become more rugged and colorful. Shyok broadens its flow showing off lovely sand banks. The river continues to give us company flanked by spectacular mountains! We were having a great time. We stopped for photography at many places but kept moving in a steady place.

Thoise, a military airfield, and a tiny settlement. Though Thoise is not the real name of the place but an acronym – Transit Halt of Indian Soldiers Enroute (to Siachen). While no photography is allowed due to the sensitive nature of the region, the landscapes are exceptionally stunning.

Shyok River.




The road


& We



We crossed many tiny settlements along the Shyok river. We reached Chalunk village, a very small village on the bank of the Shyok river. Before 1971, this village used to be the India - Pakistan Border. We reached a massive suspension bridge on the road. This Bridge used to be India- Pakistan border before 1971. We stopped at the bridge to have some fresh air out of the car,

A Beautiful Bridge

We carried on parallel to the Shyok river.
Turtuk village welcomed us.
Located on the banks of the Shyok river Turtuk is the northernmost village in India lying very close to the India-Pakistan border. The picturesque village with its tiny houses and fields is surreal. It remains cut off from Ladakh for 6 months during winter.

To Turtuk


Welcome to Turtuk




We ignored the village and carried on driving. We crossed the village. Contrary to my imagination, Turtuk is comparatively a big village with many amenities. We didn't stop anywhere and moved on to visit the Indo-POK border.

To POK


Turtuk & Shyok river


Turtuk


Some interesting information.


After crossing Turtuk, we stopped at Army CP at Tyakshi village.
They were not interested in our ILP or green tax. They just wanted to check our Government ID to get a confirmation that we are Indians. As always, we were early and some of the first to get registered at the CP. We gave some sweets to army guys and they gave us softies. We thanked them and moved on. We were approaching a small village named Thang on the Indo-POK border which is practically LOC. Some interesting board welcomed us. the cone-shaped summits (in the below pic) are in POK and some of the summits have PakistanArmy's bunker with soldiers posted there to observe our movement.

Under Enemy Observation


We moved on. Before we reach Thang village, there was a particular area named "Zero Point" developed keeping tourism in mind. They created a dummy bunker, a viewpoint, and a small food joint. We stopped there and did some photography. We were just 2km away from LOC. It was a thrilling experience to be under enemy observation and roam around at that point. Joyas tried to talk to those Pakistani soldiers by shouting out loud, but no one replied.

Zero Point at Thang














IMHO, The best way to put a claim on the disputed territory is by making it available for Tourism.
Pakistan understands that and he started giving climbing permits for K2 Summit. K2 summit is part of India but it's under Pakistan occupation. K2 is the world's second-highest summit in the world. Elite mountaineers started taking permits to climb from Pakistan and due to that K2 summit started considered a Pakistani summit in major adventure and mountaineering magazines and journals. This was a masterstroke from Pakistan.

India understood this, but a bit late.
International border tourism is a hit. Tourists love to have that doze of Patriotism at the International border, especially when we do have conflicts & disputes with our neighbors. Wagha border, Longewala border are now major toruist destination. Gujarat Government is trying to do the same with Nadabet. The government opened Turtuk and the surrounding area for tourism with the cooperation of the army back in 2010. However, it came in limelight for the last four to five years.

After having our rituals done at Zero point. we moved on to Thang village.

Thang Village, which is also known as Dhothang or Thanga Chathang, is the northernmost village in India.
Thang lies on the Line of Control that divides India and Pakistan and offers spectacular views of the majestic mountains. Situated along the Shyok River, Thang Village was up until recently not open to tourists. Given its proximity to the LOC. There are guides who take visitors around the area and show them the fence, army bunkers on both sides, and Indian and Pakistani flags.

Zero Point


To Loc


Border View Point


Don't go there.


POK




As I mentioned earlier, the problem with reaching early at any tourist destination is that sometimes you"ll find them closed. There was a small museum in Thang village, but it was closed. There was a small tea-food point, it was closed. We were lucky to have one lady who rented us her binoculars and guided us on where to look for a Pakistani flag.

During the war between India and Pakistan in 1971, five villages of Pakistan came under the control of India. Tyakshi and Thang are two of them. The resident of these villages became Indian citizens overnight. However, they faced many difficulties.

We spend some time with a local Chacha at the border viewpoint. As per him, During the 1971 war, when the villages were displaced and many areas came under Indian control, the revenue documents of five villages Tyakashi, Turtuk, Chulanka, Takri and Thang remained in Skardu, then the district headquarters. Since Skardu is a part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the people of the village are not getting the approval for their identity and have to submit an affidavit from the court saying they were a part of Pakistan till 1971 and are now residents of the Indian state.

Moreover, many families of these villages also got divided due to war and their family members and relatives are now living across the border, just a few hundred meters away. If they want to meet their own family members they have to travel thousands of km to Wagha or New Delhi. That chacha's own son and daughter-in-law were at Otherside of LOC. He claimed that he haven't seen his son in last more than 40 years. He, nither his son have money to travel to the Wagah border to meet each other. As per him. there are many families like him on both sides of LOC.

As per the latest news, GOI gave the approval to establish a border post and open the connecting road for the residents of these villages. So, they can meet their family members. We are waiting for the go-ahead from the Pakistani side. I passed that update to Chacha. He was aware of that.

The Chacha and his Story


We gave some sweets to that Chacha, wished him all the very best, and left border point with heavy hearts.

We drove back to Turtuk.
We notice a long queue of tourists at the Tyakshi Military checkpoint. A herd of tourists was going to Thang to see the brooder and we were coming back from there. When that herd will come back from Thang that could overflow the small Turtuk villages.

Turtuk is Known as a village divided by a border, Turtuk is situated on the banks of the Shyok River. Geographically, the village was in the Baltistan region which was under the control of Pakistan until the 1971 war, when the Indian soldiers captured some of the villages. Turtuk is also one of the few villages which are populated by Balti people in India. It is the last outpost of India in the north, after which Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan begins. Turtuk is also known as the gateway to the Siachen Glacier making it a strategically important region in the northern part of the country. It is undoubtedly one of the remotest offbeat destinations in the whole country but at the same time, the exquisiteness of the village and the hospitable nature of the locals is hard to miss.

We met some villagers. The ladies wanted us not to click their photographs. They graciously allowed us to click the pic of their kids. As per them, there are many things to do in Turtuk. They told us that there is an underground glacial watercourse, which keeps the quarters ice cold throughout the years. They use these hollows as natural cold storage:Shockked:. We wanted to see that. But there wasn't any male to show that to us. We spent quality time with the ladies talking about their day-to-day life.

The kids of Turtuk


There is the point at Turtuk village. From that point, K2 summit can be viewed. It's not a proven claim. We thought to prove that claim by visiting it. We inquired around and found out that it's a three hours one-way trek/climb:p. We dropped the idea and started searching for dried apricot and jam. Turtuk has two parts, Youl and Pharol, connected by a wooden bridge over a gurgling stream. We walked through that beautiful wooden bridge to reach a shop. It was closed. There was a cafe at the end of the bridge. Tourists started coming back from the thang. We took our car inside the narrow lanes. To my surprise, the village was big.

Wooden Bridge


We got down and started exploring the village on foot. A group of Balti women sits chit-chatting and immediately cover their faces at the sight of a camera. We approached them. We switched off the camera and then they started talking with us about Turtuk. They told us, that Balti people are shy but they started opening up to interact with tourists. They explained that Turtuk and other villages were part of the Baltistan- Gilgit region. It used to be separate ancient kingdoms. They prefer to speak in Balti language they are also conversant in Hindi, Urdu, Ladakhi, and English. I asked them the meaning of the word " Turtuk". As per them, it's a balti word which means "a desire to stay”. They told us many things about Turtuk. After knowing that, We realized that one day or a few hours are not enough to understand and enjoy Turtuk. I promised those ladies that I "ll come again with my family and spend a good time at Turtuk. We bid farewell to them and got back to our car.

A walk-in Turtuk








We wanted to spend some more time with the locals. We were invited to visit one of their ancient houses. We were invited to have lunch at one of the local houses. We had to skip it all. We had to reach Hunder before dusk. The two-humped camels were waiting for us. We started driving back to Hunder.

We stopped at Shyok War Memorial to pay our respects and give some sweets to the soldiers. Shyok War Memorial is built in honor of the martyr of Siachen warriors. There was a here is an Indian Army souvenir shop. We bought some souvenirs, visited the war memorial, and drove on.

Back from Turtuk


Shyok War Memorial






We started from the war memorial, took a turn, and stopped at the Army food stall. The stall was run by the army guys. We ordered Momo, samosa and maggi. They were some of the best samosas I ever had in my life with some out-of-the-world chatni. The manager told us that all the soldiers irrespective of their ranks always stop at this cafe to have those samosas. We loved that samosa, and we repeated the order thrice. We thanked those soldiers, gave them the sweets, and bid farewell.

Samosa and us


Army food Joint


We had an amazing lunch in the company of some of the high-ranking military officers. We started driving towards Hunder. After one hour of drive. We got stuck on an ongoing road widening work. The work was going on and JCB was removing the debris from the road.

Road widening.


Debris


We parked our car and made out self comfortable. Some uncle from some vehicle in the queue noticed our GJ number plate and came to us. He was surprised to see a GUJ self-driven private car in this area. He was more shocked to see we drove it by ourselves.

He started talking about the danger of driving in mountains, AMS issues faced by him at Pangong, how he spent one night in the hospital and all that kind of stuff. His intention was good, but he was sounding very negative. Moreover, the next day we were going to Pangong lake. I didn't want others to get scared of the beautiful lake. I got involved in the conversation and asked some questions. On the basis of his answers, I proved that he didn't take enough preparations. I told him that AMS is surely a threat in this region, but if we take proper precautions and care, we can tackle it easily. I left the discussion to have a short walk towards the road widening work.

Waiting Cars


Discusions


A walk


The road cleaning work took two hours.
We could have spent those two hours at Turtuk. Once the road got cleared. Army vehicles got the priority to move ahead and cross that area. We followed the Army convoy and kept moving to Hunder.

A bridge and queue of cars.


Army's TATA Safari


Army Convoy


& WE

The road cleaning was done. We crossed that section and stopped for a while to get out of the military convoy. Once we got out of the convoy we pushed the pedal to reach Hunder as soon as possible. We wanted to do the camel ride before dusk.

Hunder


We reached Hunder and approached the Camale ride point.
The point was full of tourists. We parked our vehicle and approached the camel guys. There was a co -operative structure in place for tickets. We bought our camel ride tickets and show them to a camel owner. He gave us some tips on DOs & Donts and asked us to climb on the Camels. I am not that fond of riding an animal. However, It was a new experience and I wanted to try it once.

We started our Camel ride.
The view from the desert was amazing, We could see all the dunes. Faraway we could see a big statue of Buddha and Diskit Monastery. It was an amazing feeling, it felt like we were nomads wandering in the desert. I was just enjoying the view and thinking about the ancient silk route, where these camels and their long caravans carried silk and other stuff to another part of Asia. For a while, I felt like I am a rich merchant carrying my vast caravans of merchandise along the dunes and rugged barren mountains. Someone called me to give a pose for the photographs, which bought me back to reality. I looked around and realized that we were just photo-crazy tourists, who keep searching for clean toilets.lol:

Herd of Tourists & thier cars.


Camle Safari


Camles


Photo-crazy tourists






Somehow, the sunset was late that day. We had some more time and we spent that time clicking the dunes and mountains. The sand here is silver and not brown or Khakhi. The setting sun was casting a huge shadow of the clouds on the dunes. The light in Ladakh can be misleading; it was almost 7 in the evening and yet the sun was sufficiently bright. And then glowing sunset colors to complete the fairytale. We clicked a few photographs and kept walking so that we could avoid the herd of tourists.

Me


& the Sand Dunes








Nubra Valley is also called " Desert in the sky" due to these dunes. It was a dazzling landscape: Sand dunes like the ones in a desert, green poplar trees, Shayok river flowing by, picturesque bare mountains and snowy peaks to top it. We selected a bunch of dunes away from the crowd and spent some nice time playing in the sand. We were waiting for the sun to get completely down.

We


Joyas


Paresh


& Me.


A very cool breeze blew as the sun went down, and the weather had suddenly become very cold. We were not carrying our warm jackets. It was a time to move back to our hotel or at least inside the car. We got back in the car and drove to one of two fuel bunks in the Diskit. We were carrying approximately 55ltr of fuel in the plastic can in our car. After Hunder, we were going to drive more than 800km without a fuel bunk. We got our fuel tank topped up at Diskit. We went back to our hotel.

Last view of Dune.


Our Car


At dinner, we found that Archan was worried about the next part of the Journey. We were going to drive to Pangong to Hanle to Tso Moriri . All of these places are higher than 14000 ft. He was worried due to the ranting of ur gujuu uncle who met us at one of the road blockages that day. I assured him that, we are taking enough precautions to avoid AMS. We all looked and felt fit. I assured him that there was no reason to worry. We also checked each one of us's oxygen levels. I found everything fine. I assured everyone to remain positive and trust me. We are going to have an amazing trip for the rest of the days.:)

Day 8 (30/04/2022) Hunder - Merak (Pangong Tso)

Once upon a time, if you want to include Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake both in your Ladakh trip,you need to spare two extra days. You go to Nubra valley by crossing Khardung La top. After visiting Nubra valley, once again you cross Khardung La and come back to Leh, spend one night at Leh, and the next day travel to Pangong Lake. This was a time-consuming process. Crossing Khardung La twice is a tiring and tough job.

Fortunately, that's the past now. We can directly go to Pangong From Nubra Valley. We don't need to cross Khadung La and go back to Leh to go to Pangong Lake. There are now 2 direct routes that can be taken for this journey, the Wari La route and the Agham-Shyok road.

Aghan Shyok Route:

Nubra Valley – Agham – Shyok Village – Durbuk – Tangste – Pangong Tso (Lukung)

This route is shorter and lower ((in terms of altitude) than the Wari La route. This route practically passes through shyok river. It is advisable to cover this route during the first half of the day to avoid major river crossings. Sometimes the water in the Shyok river swells and closes the road. This route is very popular now and getting used very frequently by taxis and private vehicles.

Wari La Route:

Nubra Valley – Agham – Wari La – Shakti – Chang La – Durbuk – Tangste – Pangong Tso (Lukung)

This route is longer, higher (in terms of altitude), and tougher than Agham- shyok route. This route travels Nubra Valley to Sakti over Wari La and then traverses a major part of Leh to the Pangong Tso route, including climbing the Chang La pass. This is an alternative route, so for BRO it's not a priority, and that is why most of the time Wai la remained closed.

I have never been to Wari La. I wanted to take the Wari La route. However, War La was closed due to snow. We decided to go by the Shyok-Agham route.

We left Hunder at 0630. We were going to drive on the same road till Khalsar. We stopped for a while to capture Diksit Monastery and Buddha statue on our way back to Khalsar.

Goodbye Hunder Dunes


Diskit Monastery


Buddha Statue


We crossed Khalsar and approched Agham village.
I was under the impression that this road is going to be a dirt road. Contrary to that, we found a very good tarred tarmac. We also spotted many vehicles going on this route. Tourist vehicles this early meant they were also following the rule of crossing this route in the first half of the day.

Khalsar Village


To Agham




We stopped for a while at Agham village for bio breaks and tea. Many tourist vehicles came behind us. It was good for us that we were not alone on this road.

At Agham Village


After a quick stop, we got on the road, After a while, BRO's board confirmed that we were on the right road. We carried on.

Thanks BRO.


The road was good even after Agham village.
We found good tarred Tarmac and many of the small bridges which can cover some major water crossings. This road was turning out very well. However, it was killing the thrill of adventure of water crossing and tackling bad roads.

Good road.




Small Bridge.


We were enjoying the tarred tarmac by maintaining a healthy speed. Suddenly the riverbed started. There wasn't much water. And the stones were settled very nicely. We crossed the rive section nicely. We also spotted some wildlife.

Riverbed




Wildlife


At some places, we had to get down from the car and settle/remove the rocks to avoid underbelly hit. However, We did it twice in the entire river bed section. We didn't find any challenge in tackling that part of the road. After that, the river ended, and we again got tarred tarmac. We were driving in the river. We got out of it and started driving with the river.

Tarred Tarmac


Shyok River.




We were approaching Shyok village by driving parallel to the Shyok river.
The road was good. We were in good mood and we were perfectly on time.

The road


Shyok river


To Shyok village.


We reached Shyok village at 1045, perfectly as I anticipated.
The village was deserted. We found some locals and we stopped for some small talk. They informed us that the entire Shyok village runs on solar energy. High-energy appliances are also banned in the whole village, to make the demand for electricity manageable and sustainable. This new information was impressive. We thanked the locals, gave them some sweets, and moved on.

To Pangong Tso.


Shyok 0 Km


Shyok Village.


After Shyok, the road was excellent. We found an amazing road. As the day progressed, military convoy movement also started on this road. However, the convoys were small.

Good road to Pangong Tso.










Shyok to Durbuk was an excellent road.
We didn't stop for anything and rushed towards my familiar Leh -Pangong Road.

We reached Tangtse. Tangste is a small village on the road to Pangong Tso. Tangste has a tremendous historical significance being the war site for many wars such as the Mughal-Tibet war and the Dogra Tibet war. Tangste has stay facilities and a hospital. People facing breathing issues are brought to Tangste for treatment. Pangong is at a higher altitude and gets very cold at night. Many tourists choose to stay at Tangste for a night after a visit to Pangong.

To Tangste


Tangste

We left Tangste.
The road after Tangstge was excellent with amazing vistas. We stopped for a while at a small Buddhist temple. The soil and mountain formation kept changing drastically. We were crossing a patch of road full of big stones and rocks. We were still 25 km far from Pangong. We noticed many tourist vehicles going to the lake. And, why not, Pangong is one of the prime and major tourist spots in India. People just love this place.

The rocks & road


Some temple


To Pangong


This route passes through the Changthang wildlife century. Especially, I call Tangste to Pangong Section as the animal section, where you can find different Himalayan species around the mountains. You don't need to wait or search for animal spotting. You can see them gazing around all the time. The most commonly available species are Himalayan Marmots, while driving you can see big holes, where the Marmots live. You can also Find Yaks, Kiangs, Horses, and Pashmina goats. Out of them, only Kiangs (wild Himalayan donkeys) are wild. Yaks, Pashminas, and horses are owned by locals.

Road


Pashmina Goats.


& We






Marmot & its hole.


Himalayan Marmot


Kiangs


Yak Yak Yak


We spend some time with the animals. Please note, that feeding these animals is strictly prohibited in the area. These Marmots use to have an addiction to biscuits. Authorities made strict rules to stay away from these animals. Also, don't honk or go near Yaks, they don't like it. And they are never shy in showing their dislike and they will attack you. We reached the spot of first view of Pangong lake. We were just 4 km away from the lake.

Pangong Lake


First view


We reached one of the most beautiful places on the earth.
We reached Pangong Tso. Pangong in Ladakhi means extensive concavity, the word Tso is Tibetan for the lake. The lakes or ponds in the Himachal Pradesh side of the Himalayas are called "Tal" to "Zil". I don't want to talk/write anything about this beautiful place. A lot of things have already been written about this Tso. I "ll let the photographs talk.

Welcome to Pangong


Green Pangong




Grey Pangong


3 Idiots influance.




Pangong lake keeps changing its color. When we arrived at the lake, we noticed green Pangong. After a while, there were lots of clouds in the sky and due to that, the lake became grey. We spent some quality time at the lake away from the crowd.

We & Pangong Tso















Three Idiots

Pangong Tso is one of the most beautiful places on the earth.
And how did average people come to know about it? by A Movie!
I hate people who call this lake a " 3 idiots Lake". Yes, it is not possible to detach the 3 Idiots movie from Pangong lake.
However, IMO, this lake should be known for its beauty, its length, its bird, its color-changing behavior, and for people staying around it. After 3 Idiots, China is making the area more famous by regularly crossing the LAC.

"let's go to Karina's Scooter".
I got out of my thought process when Joyas asked me to go to those replicas for the photo session. I asked them to go for it and I happily clicked pics for them.

Karina"s Scooter and all...













After our photography session with "3 idiot's sacred monuments", we went for lunch. We had to choose between a "3 idiot's cafe" or " Ranchos's cafe". We selected "3 idiots cafe" because of the outdoor seating arrangement. There were many cafes and most of them were named on Rancho or 3 idiots. I wanted to seat outdoor to have a view of the Lake during our lunch.

3 idiots or Rancho


View from the cafe






Pangong Lake, situated at a height of almost 4,350m, is the world’s highest saltwater lake. It is 134 km (83 mi) long and divided into five sub lakes, called Pangong Tso, Tso Nyak, Rum Tso (twin lakes), and Nyak Tso. Approximately 50% of the length of the overall lake lies within Tibet in China, 40% in Ladakh, India, and the remaining 10% is disputed and is a de-facto buffer zone between India and China. The lake is 5 km (3.1 mi) wide at its broadest point.

There are some villages on the bank of the Lake. Lukung is practically the start of the lake, where all cafes, 3 idiots stuff, and military camps are located. Most of the tourists turn back from this point. Lukung is always overflooded with taxis and tourists. You move ahead and there is one small village named Spangmik. Spangmik has most of the camps and cottages for night stay. This is an ideal place to spend the night. Three idiots' shooting point is at Spangmik, where the NRI guys met the other three Idiots at the end of the movie. You move ahead, there is a very small village named Man, Man also has some camps and some homestays. After Man, there is a village name Merak. It is a proper village with four or five homestays.

After lunch, we started driving for Merak. Merak is 30 km from the starting of the lake, which can take more than one and a half hours. Moreover, you are driving with one of the most beautiful lakes. You would have to stop frequently to click the pics and admire the views.

Views on the road to Spangmik.







Before you reach Spangmik, there is a turn that takes you to the " three Idiots" shooting Point. We took that turn. We took our car as near as possible and parked it. I remained in the car and the rest of the guys walked to the shooting point. This shooting point is beautiful and I also wanted to go. However, I was not feeling well. The rest of the guys took the Diamox pill in the morning, I didn't. I wanted to try all the natural remedies to tackle AMS. I checked myself, I had a heavy fever and cough. I tried to sleep for a while, but I couldn't. I took One PCM tablet and took a rest for 15 to 20 minutes. The other guys took 25 minutes, when they came back to the car, I was fit and ready to drive.

At Spangmik


The shooting Point


Blue Pangong


Archan


Joyas


Nomads


the opposite side of Lake


Spangmik Village.


I drove on these roads three years back. Back in 2018, the road was in very bad condition after Spangmik. This time it was excellent with black tarmac. We reached Man village in no time and spotted Some Yaks. We stopped for a while to capture the vistas.

Excellent Road




Man Village


Yak Yak


& Yak


Grey Pangong


Green & Grey Pangong